NAME ________________________________________________________ PERIOD ________________________
UNIT 3 LESSON 1 STUDY GUIDE – THE ATMOSPHERE (85)
1. The atmosphere‘s composition is _____________________ % Nitrogen, ____________________% Oxygen and
______________% other gases. The most important being carbon dioxide and water vapor.
2. Why is it harder to breathe at higher elevations?
3. As altitude increases, air pressure ______________________.
4. As air pressure increases, density _______________________.
5. As altitude increases, temperature usually _______________________.
6. Which layer of the atmosphere has the most mass? __________________________________________________
7. Write true or false next to each phrase/sentence below. If it is false, change the bolded word(s) to make
the statement true.
_____ Weather happens in the stratosphere. _________________________________
_____ The ozone layer is in the mesosphere. __________________________________
_____ The stratosphere is below the troposphere. _____________________________
_____ The stratosphere is warmer at the top than at the bottom. ________________________________
_____Meteoroids burn up in the exosphere. ___________________________________
_____ The International Space Station orbits in the troposphere. ________________________________
_____ The Aurora Borealis are found in the exosphere. _________________________________________
_____ Ions are found in the ionosphere. _______________________________________
8. Which gas in the atmosphere acts like a greenhouse? _______________________________________________
9. What type of substance is air? Circle one
a compound
a molecule
an element
a mixture
10. Which of the following causes air pressure? _____________________
A. The sun’s energy
B. Earth’s magnetic field
C. The mass of the air
D. The density of nitrogen
11. Which of the following is a direct result of the trapping of energy by earth’s atmosphere? ______________
A. Earth has gravity
B. Earth has weather
C. Earth has moderate temperatures
D. Earth’s atmosphere has 4 main layers
12. Which layer of the atmosphere is responsible for shielding the earth from harmful ultra-violet rays?
_______________________________
13. Which explains why cloudy nights tend to be warmer than clear night? _______________
A. Clouds store and release energy from earth’s interior
B. Clouds trap heat energy (absorbs it)
C. Clouds generate wind
D. Clouds reflect energy from the sun
14. Define atmosphere:
15. Draw the four main layers of the atmosphere. Place the lowest layer on the bottom.
16. What are the two sub-divisions of the thermosphere?
17. Draw and label a pie chart for the composition of the atmosphere.
18. Air moves from _____________________ pressure to ______________ pressure.
19. Why did the Peep expand when the air was taken out of the vacuum chamber?